Life, 1919-04-24 · page 6 of 46
Life — April 24, 1919 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **Weed Tire Chains advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. The page illustrates a practical automotive safety message from the early automobile era. The image shows two cars navigating a snowy bridge—one struggling with slipping wheels, while the larger car equipped with Weed Chains maintains traction and climbs the grade easily. The headline "It's not the power—it's the traction" emphasizes that tire chains, not engine power, determine winter driving capability. The accompanying narrative recounts an anecdote where a motorist observed this performance difference, leading to an endorsement of Weed Chains' effectiveness on slippery roads. The advertisement targets safety-conscious drivers by demonstrating how chains prevent dangerous skidding and sliding during winter conditions. This reflects early 20th-century automotive concerns before modern tire technology.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The above illustration was suggested by a well known business man who was standing con the curb at the foot of a sharp incline leading to a bridge span- ning a river. The scene made such an im- pression upon him that he described it to us in detail and urged us to picture it in an ad so that all motorists might learn the lesson he got fromit—“‘to always put on Weed Tire Chains when the roads are wet and slippery.” he, It's not the power it's the traction Here’s the Story— ~The bridge had just swung closed and the policeman had given the ‘Go’ signal. All the motor cars, motor trucks and wagons, a long line of them, started ahead, but right in front of me stood a big car—a beauty—which seemed to me to have as much power as a locomotive, but she didn’t move a foot. Stood like she was anchored, and | judged the ‘clutch was slipping’ until I realized that all this time the rear wheels were ‘spinning’ on the cobble stones like a windmill. “Tt surprised me to see a small-power delivery truck with a heavy load turn out and go by the big car and up the grade without any trouble. ren T noticed that the cars that were moving were equipped with Weed Chains while the big car had nothing but slippery, bare tires. “Here was the driver of the big car, with all its tremendous power, standing sull, wasting time and wearing out his tires spinning on a rough, uneven road. And when | thought of what those big 36x5 tires cost and how they were being ruined, it taught me a lesson | will never forget “In the past few years I have read over and over again how Weed Chains gave positive traction and prevented slipping and skidding, ut 1 never saw it so vividly portrayed. “If every motorist could see it in the same way, nota single one would attempt to drive on slippery streets or pavements without Weed Tire Chains.” We are glad to put our friend's story into print and hope the lesson will “strike home” to a lot of drivers who have been either careless of indifferent about using Weed Chains—one of the most important factors in sane motoring. AMERICAN CHAIN COMPANY, INC. CONNECTICUT In Canada: Dominion Chain Company, Limited, Niagara Falls, Ontario Largest Chain Manufacturers in the World The Complete Chain Line—All Types, All Sizes, All Finishes—From Plumbers’ Safety Chain to Ships’ Anchor Chain BRIDGEPORT Comicbooks.com